<Begin Segment 15>

MA: How did your relationship with him evolve, then, during that time, and when was your next meeting with him?

YK: I didn't... let's see. Because he had to start a new group because he was now out of Elijah's group, NOI. And, well, living in Harlem, I was going to a lot of meetings and things. My two oldest kids were like seventeen and fifteen, Billy and Audee, and they were already in the movement. They became really involved, in fact. My daughter was taking dance, and she was in one of the best schools for ballet. She said, "Mom, I don't want to keep taking up dancing, it takes a lot of time." Said, "I want to go to the demonstrations with you." And I said, "Oh, you should try to keep up a little with the dancing. You're lucky you even got into the school." It was a very good school. But she said no. And my other daughter, who was about thirteen or twelve, she wasn't dancing -- well, she was in a way. But she said, "I want to go to all the demonstrations, too." 'Cause the younger ones, the boys, were maybe ten, eight and six. Wherever I went, I took them with me. The older ones I would say, "All of you, just be careful. When we get on subways and stuff, hold hands, and you could go on your own." But the little ones I took with me everywhere. Now, what was the question? I forgot.

MA: Oh, about your relationship with Malcolm X and how that evolved? How you then met up with him again and how that happened.

YK: Now, let's see. I started to go to... wait, what year now are we in?

MA: I think this is end of '63. He had started the OAAU, he had split with the Nation of Islam.

YK: Okay, let me think. '63...

MA: Didn't you have a gathering at your house?

YK: Oh, we had gatherings all the time. We met all the, not just Harlem activists, but I mean, black and white activists who came in from everywhere, not only through New York. But eventually well-known activists, regardless of what color, would be speaking in Manhattan, and often they'd want to go into Harlem. So we had many kind of meetings and we met all the main people. Well, we got to know Malcolm's secretary, James Shabazz, well, and Stokely Carmichael who became Kwame Ture, and James Forman... a whole lot of people, Ella Baker. And it was really an exciting time. Our kids were excited -- not the little ones, but the, Billy, Audee and Aichi. I mean, they went to... and I let them go to even the ones out of town where they get on a bus and go to D.C. and demonstrate. Our family was, my husband couldn't or he would lose his job, but the rest of us, we became very involved.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.